Kansas City Royals Biggest Disappointments in 2015

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Everything should be wonderful for the Kansas City Royals. Today, they currently sit atop the American League Central with a comfortable eleven game lead, and have a four game edge for home field advantage throughout the postseason. The Royals have a true ace, were buyers at the trade deadline and have managed to get the corpse of Omar Infante out of the lineup. Yes, times are good over at Kauffman Stadium.

Yet, there is an undercurrent of concern with the Royals. They have lost seven of their last ten games, and five of their last six contests. In a week, they have gone from 31 games over .500 to a “mere” 27 games over. The Twins have shaved two games from their lead, and while they may well be too far behind to overtake the Royals, could make the last couple of weeks a bit more uncomfortable than anyone would like. Meanwhile, the prospect of losing home field advantage to the Blue Jays is looming as the losses keep piling up.

Yet, even with these recent struggles, the Royals have had quite the successful season. They have set an all time attendance record, and the excitement around the ballclub is palpable. Last year’s foray into the World Series almost seems like an appetizer, with this season as the main dish.

Last week, we took a look at the surprises for the Kansas City Royals this season. Now, let us take a look at the disappointments for the Royals this season, as they have managed to put together the best record in the American League with little contribution from these players.

Next: He was supposed to solidify the position

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Pull the plug on Omar Infante.

On the plus side, the Kansas City Royals were able to acquire Ben Zobrist, who fits into their lineup quite nicely. On the negative side, that acquisition was necessitated due to the struggles of Infante and Alex Rios (spoiler – he shows up next) throughout this season. Now that Alex Gordon has returned, Zobrist has essentially rendered Infante as a bench player, since he has made all of three starts since the first of September.

It is easy to understand why that would be the case. Despite his seven triples, and his hot streak after nearly being voted in to the All-Star Game, Infante has produced a meager .217/.230/.306 batting line with one home run and nine walks all season. Infante’s .537 OPS and -1.1 WAR are the lowest of any second baseman that qualifies for the batting title. In fact, he has the lowest OPS of any qualifying player in either league this season.

Yes, there have been mitigating circumstances. Infante has bone spurs in his elbow and will require offseason surgery. He missed time at the early part of the year due to various nicks and bruises. And yes, he has been solid defensively. Yet, the fact remains that Infante has been an almost automatic out for the vast majority of the season, and his defense is not enough to overcome the liability that his bat has become.

When he was signed, Omar Infante was expected to solidify the Kansas City Royals at second base for the next few years. Instead, he has become yet another question mark, continuing the revolving door that the position has been over the past few years.

Next: The Royals highest priced free agent signing this offseason

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What if Alex Rios had not been injured?

If not for the struggles of Omar Infante, Alex Rios would likely be the biggest target of ire in the Kansas City Royals lineup. His .251/.284/.329 batting line is not what the Royals had envisioned when they gave Rios a guaranteed $11 Million this offseason, and is even worse than his mediocre 2014 season.

Yet, one has to wonder what his year would have been like it he remained healthy. Let us not forget that Rios had scorched the ball throughout Spring Training, and had produced a torrid .321/.345/.464 batting line with a home run, two stolen bases and eight RBI as the Royals won their first seven games. Then, he was hit in the hand, missing just over six weeks before returning to the lineup on May 31st.

Instead, as Rios has struggled, the Royals have been looking to find production in right field. Both Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando have had their moments, and Rios’ bout with chicken pox may have resulted in Jonny Gomes being acquired at the end of August. Somewhere, from that collection, the Royals are hoping to find the production needed as they enter the playoffs.

One has to wonder what could have been for Alex Rios and the Kansas City Royals. Instead, he has been a major disappointment this season.

Next: Young guns not taking that next step

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It was too soon for Yordano Ventura and Danny Duffy.

When the Kansas City Royals let James Shields leave via free agency and brought in Edinson Volquez, there were certain expectations upon the pitching staff. The first was that Volquez would produce numbers similar to what Shields provided the Royals. The second was that Yordano Ventura and Danny Duffy would be able to step in and fill the void as the aces of the rotation.

While the first expectation occurred, the second did not. Ventura and Duffy have struggled for most of the season, failing to take that step forward in their development. In fact, if not for Jason Vargas needing to undergo Tommy John surgery, Ventura may well have spent a bit of time in the minors to get himself back on track.

Both pitchers have displayed signs of being on the right track lately. Ventura has posted a 1.93 ERA and has struck out 57 batters in his past 37.1 innings, even with his rough outing on Monday. Duffy, even with a couple of rocky starts, has a 3.66 ERA and a 1.254 WHiP since the All-Star Break. While that may not be a top of the rotation arm, those numbers for Duffy are still solid.

Maybe it was just too early in their development for Yordano Ventura and Danny Duffy to step up and front the Kansas City Royals rotation. Next year, however, may be a different story.

Next: What is wrong with the Dutchman?